The Ask

Proudly Muslim and Black is led by a member of the MCB Executive Committee, Rashidat Adeyinka Hassan and is entirely reliant upon a small team of volunteer researchers and project assistants. We’d like to finally build our dedicated online portal of resources, hire a dedicated Project Officer to assist in the organisation and delivery of research works we’ve undertaken and execute our Proudly Muslim and Black Youth conference as planned.

A Brief History

Black Muslim communities constitute about 10% of British Muslim communities according to the 2011 census, and they face a combination of racism and Islamophobia, both within Muslim communities and in wider society.

The Muslim Council of Britain, in collaboration with Everyday Muslims, SOAS and several other partners, held the first ever ‘Proudly Muslim & Black’ symposium and exhibition at SOAS, University of London on 9th February 2019. Entitled: ‘Exploring Black Muslim History and Heritage in Britain and Beyond’, the event explored issues facing Black Muslim communities in Britain, as well as highlighting important contributions made to Islamic civilization and British society by prominent Black Muslims.

The symposium brought together academics, scholars and community leaders to discuss important issues around the way Black Muslims are perceived and treated. It included discussions on issues such as; Black Muslims and their role in Institutions and Communities, Black Muslims – Identity Formation, The role of Muslim women in African and Afro-Caribbean Communities.

The afternoon session included inspirational short talks, spoken word and poetry presentations, an African and Afro-Caribbean fashion exhibition, as well as short presentations on selected African and Afro-Caribbean led Mosques and Muslim organisations in Britain today.

Everyday Muslims, a heritage and historical documentation initiative, featured some of their special collections on Black Muslims culture and heritage in an exhibition at the event.

Black History Month 2019

To mark Black History Month 2019, the Muslim Council of Britain held an event at the House of Parliament on 29 October 2019 hosted by Naz Shah MP, exploring the intersections of faith and race entitled ‘Being Black, British and Muslim Today’. Chaired by Bilkis Savage, a magistrate and veteran campaigner, the evening’s discussion addressed the important often under-reported subject of anti-black racism within Muslim communities, and how both racism and Islamophobia within the wider community impact lived experience of Black Muslims in Britain today.

The Aim

The project wishes to expand its works by launching an online web platform for the initiative, showcasing the work and reports produced in 2019, with the aim of holding a youth conference in October 2020 to coincide with Black History Month.

The MCB strives to act as a hub for resources and materials on this subject area and bring together academics and practitioners to highlight the key areas that need to be addressed in relation to history, social impact, youth and community cohesion. We aim to collate information through surveys, existing research and a series of focus groups, culminating in a report which details the standing and circumstance of the Black British Muslim community today. Given the current climate, we are also aiming to launch a research piece on the disproportionate impact on BAME communities by COVID 19. We hope that these research pieces will prove a useful tool for those looking to build initiatives to address the issues impacting Black British Muslims.

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